I think you hit on something I missed, and much of this thread missed: there is one weird generation that was sold the daft idea of rebuying its music as format

I think you hit on something I missed, and much of this thread missed: there is one weird generation that was sold the daft idea of rebuying its music as format shifts - the 45, the LP, the cassette for the car, the CD remaster... - who also have economic advantage and so the commercial stats just don't reflect what lots of people enjoy because the metrics measure that generation's interest and vice versa. Thanks. that was useful. Combine that with new or rescued recordings meaning a greater range of _really old_ music is available to people prone to falling down musical-history rabbit-holes... and you really do have a recipe for it becoming hard to spot the evolution of music happening vs. the surrounding (pardon me) "noise". Yet it is still happening...